thetransmittergroup.com

	Suarez apologizes to Chiellini Liverpool strikes Luis Suarez has reportedly apologized to Giorgio Chiellini for biting him during the Uruguay-Italy World Cup match. The Uruguay forward was handed a nine-match suspension and a four month ban following the incident. read more..

	Russia and Ukraine agree to work towards extension of cease fire Leaders of Ukraine and Russia have agreed to work on a bilateral ceasefire to allay conflicts in eastern Ukraine. The negotiations will also focus on setting up effective border controls. The decision to negotiate a bilateral ceasefire was agreed followin read more..

	Obama seeks USD500 million funding for Syria rebels US President Barack Obama as urged the Congress to approve USD500 million aid to train opposition forces in Syria. Obama is hopeful that the funds would help strengthen Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad. read more..

	Ban to keep Suarez off from rest of the World Cup Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was handed a four month suspension for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini. The player will be banned from nine international matches preventing him from appearing for Uruguay in the rest of the 2014 Fifa World Cup matches read more..

	Putin revokes decision to military intervene in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the parliament to revoke the decision to make a military intervention in Ukraine where Russian separatists are fighting with Ukraine security forces. Putin announced the decision to militarily intervene with the hope read more..

	Kerry rules out possibility of a military solution in Iraq US Secretary of state John Kerry said there could be no military solution to fix Iraq crisis. Mr Kerry said the only possibility is to set up a new government that empowers people in northern and western Iraq which is now under the control of the Isis. read more..

	Russia alleges that Ukraine ceasefire declaration is an ultimatum Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko declared a week long unilateral ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists fighting in parts of eastern Ukraine. The ceasefire is expected to serve as the basic conditionality for working out a peace plan with the separatist read more..

	Clashes deepen as militants and security forces tighten grips on Baiji Islamist militants and government security forces are engaged in fierce clashes to occupy Baiji oil refinery and Tal Afar airport in northern Iraq. Baiji the biggest refinery in the country is surrounded by rebels and security forces are attempting to b read more..

	David Cameron says Islamist extremism is not just Iraq's problem Addressing the National Security Council meeting on Iraq crisis UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that Islamist extremism was the biggest threat faced by the Middle East and parts of Africa. Mr Cameron warned that the crisis also threatened to hit the read more..

The PMI company has suspended its manufacturing operations in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and intends to exit the Russian market. In 2021, Ukraine accounted for around 2 percent of PMI’s total cigarette and heated tobacco unit shipment volume and under 2 percent of PMI’s total net revenues. Russia made up almost 10 percent of total shipment volumes and around 6 percent of PMI net revenues.
Russia’s February invasion triggered Western sanctions, and hundreds of businesses, including tobacco companies, have pledged to exit or cut back operations in Russia. In early March, PMI announced it would suspend its investment and scale down its manufacturing operations in Russia. Later that month, the company announced it would exit the market altogether.
“First and foremost, the war in Ukraine continues to deeply affect the lives of our employees and families in the region,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak in a statement. “My first priority is to give them the help they need and as a company we are focused on doing our utmost to support them throughout this conflict.”
BAT took a $957 million ($1.15 billion) impairment charge related to the transfer of its Russian business, lowering its half-year earnings by a quarter.
BAT reported a 25 percent drop in profit from operations on a reported basis to $3.68 billion for the six months to June 30 as a result of the charge. The company expects global tobacco industry volume to be down about 3 percent, partly because of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. A likely candidate for the purchase of BAT assets is the Russian tobacco plant.
“We are not immune, of course, to the increasing macroeconomic pressures, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine,” said BAT CEO Jack Bowles. “However, we are well positioned to navigate the current turbulent environment due to our powerful brands, operational agility and continued strong cash generation.”
Meanwhile. Japan Tobacco on Thursday announced it was considering selling its Russian operations after suspending investment and marketing activities in the country last month following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The statement by JT, market leader in Russia, came after it said in March it would continue manufacturing in the country, where it has four factories and 4,000 employees.
That announcement drew criticism after many global brands pulled out over the invasion of Ukraine and governments, including Japan, levied heavy sanctions against Moscow. Russia calls its action in Ukraine a “special operation,” according to Reuters.
Thetransmittergroup.com will continue to follow developments in Russia on the tobacco market.